Outcast's Light
by bloodyshadow1
Summary: Just a quick multi-chapter story between Riven and a certain blonde Demacian. From the start of their relationship to the present. Inspired by Salvadora11's fic. May go up to M. Apologize for the terrible summary.
1. Chapter 1

Just a quick story that I'm planning on continuing at a later date. I read Salvadora11 fanfic Guiding Light and fell in love with the pairing, but since there isn't a lot of stories with them so I decided to do one of my own. I don't plan on making it a work of art, but I hope it's at least okay. For now it's pretty mild, but I'm actually planning on making it more mature, it may even eventually get an M rating.

It wasn't supposed to be this way, it was supposed to be one night and that was it. At least that's what Riven agreed to when the Demacian came to her room a month ago. Riven stared at the younger girl sleeping peacefully beside her, if her hip wasn't touching Riven's own, the Exile wouldn't have believed it herself as she reminisced about her life and how this came to be.

Little more than two months ago, Riven had arrived at the Institute of War. Weary and dirty from her years of wandering the Exile had arrived; the few precious possession she could call hers on her back. The first who had seen her had assumed that she was just a peasant come to serve the summoners and the champions of the league. She had waited for over an hour in the main lobby before Kayle, at the high summoners request had come to fetch her. By that time Riven had been so exhausted from her journey and being forced to wait that she would have followed Prince Jarven the IV if he said he was a guide.

The meeting that followed was even less pleasant for Riven than her wait. The Institute of War was Riven's last hope to find a place of her own, where she could live instead of just existing. But it wasn't what she had expected, and she knew that she wasn't what the summoners had been expecting either. The summoners had sent her an invitation to join the league a few months ago out of her reputation without actually meeting her in person. They had heard that she not only fought in the Noxus-Ionia conflict and survived, but that she had left the Noxian army afterwards and survived being a deserter. From what they had heard, the summoner council had expected a beautiful, war goddess, with a sword the size of Riven herself, and the skill to use it. What they had not expected was the pathetic looking tramp covered in the dust and dirt of the road. Malnourished and exhausted, Riven knew she didn't make a good first impression, but the summoners had decided to give her a chance. They gave her room and board for the night with promises to give her a real test the next day. They didn't think that she would live up to their standards, but they had found several surprising jewels in their searches for fighters.

The following day Riven had proven her strength in several practice matches against bots, dolls created by the league to be practice for new or unskilled summoners. The dolls were pale imitations of actual league champions, but they were more than a match for the average riffraff that would come bustling through the leagues doors with overinflated opinions of themselves. Riven had proven herself a class above most of the others who were tested by tearing through the bots with ease. After her initial test, the council had agreed to allow Riven to stay on as a probationary champion of the league. She would be allowed to stay at the institute and train with less experienced summoners in bot matches, but she wasn't allowed to participate in real matches to decide the fate of Valoran at the moment. They claimed it was a standard procedure, but Riven read it as them saying that they weren't sure if they wanted to trust a walk in champion with the delicate politics of the realm.

It was fine with Riven though, she had spent so long on the road it was felt strange to be able to sleep in the same bed twice. In a good way, Riven would admit to herself, she had been on the road too long running from her past, running from the ghosts of Ionia, and the assassins of Noxus to care about personal comfort. It had been many years since she had a place to call home, even before she became an exile, became The Exile, Riven had been a soldier. She had gotten used to moving and fighting where she was told, she was not a dainty flower, but a place to sleep, bathe, and eat everyday was something of a dream she never thought she could achieve.

Still, life at the institute was not an easy adjustment to get used to. Even in the league, a place full of strange creatures, mighty warriors, and other oddities, Riven felt like an outsider. She wasn't a social butterfly as some, she normally preferred to be alone in fact, but she preferred to be anything than despised. As a Noxian, by blood and birth if not by allegiance anymore, she was considered an enemy of the states of Demacia and Ionia. And as a deserter of the Noxian army, she was despised by the Noxian members of the league. The other champions and summoners were wary and stepped wide when they saw Riven. Most of them didn't know Riven's whole story, but they knew she had fought in the terrible war between Noxus and Ionia, and that afterwards she abandoned her own country. Within her first few day at the institute rumors began to spread about Riven and soon no one would be willing to talk to her or even be near her.

After a week of being alone with only bots as companions, Riven was even more unsure of her place at the Institute of War than she had been when she first arrived. She was considering leaving the league and setting out on the road when she saw her, Luxanna Crownguard, the greatest tactician of Demacia and the younger sister of Garen Crownguard, the pride and joy of the Demacian army. The young champion had apparently been on a diplomatic mission to Piltover the recent weeks and only just returned.

When Riven saw the Lady of Luminosity walk in to the mess hall of the league, she couldn't tear her eyes from the stunning champion. Lux strolled into the cafeteria and the mood of the room seemed to become lighter. Summoners and champions who knew the girl crowded around her to ask about her travels. Almost everyone who knew the younger Crownguard considered her a friend. Lux just let out a laugh and moved to sit on one of the tables to regal the crowd with her stories of her journey. Riven was far from the festivities but she was close enough to hear and watch. The other girl's tale was riveting, if even half of what was said was true than she had more exciting adventures the past month or so than Riven had since the war with Ionia. Yet the way Luxanna wove the strands of her story together and described each part of her story, Riven couldn't help but believe the other woman's story to be true.

Sometime in the story, when it got to the part where Luxanna had fought with a giant yordle, Riven forced herself to leave; the tales were getting far too tall for the outcast. With everyone watching Lux with rapt attention Riven knew that it would be the perfect time to leave without arousing any unwanted attention.

But as Riven headed out the doors of the league's cafeteria, she felt a set of eyes on her. They weren't malicious, the instincts she honed as a soldier and surviving years assassins after her told her that. She cautiously turned her head to where she felt the eyes come from trying to stay nonchalant and met a pair of big, beautiful, blue eyes. Lux was staring at the newcomer of the league with a mix of surprise and intrigue, all while maintaining her story before the crowd. They maintained eye contact for a few minutes without anyone noticing the two of them. Riven was unsure of what to do, when people stared at her it was like they were staring at a grotesque in carnival, but no one had smiled at her like Lux was in years.

Then to Riven's surprise, it looked as if Lux raised an eyebrow at her in some sort of gesture that Riven didn't recognize at first. It happened so quickly that Riven wasn't sure if she what she saw actually happened. But she was sure that Lux was still glancing at her every now and then when she could look up from her story. Riven didn't know why, but there was an odd flicker inside of her that was confusing to her in so many ways. She practically ran through the doors to her room in a panic trying to sort out whatever she was feeling.


	2. introductions

So a new update, to be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to do an update or if I was going to just move one, but since people liked it I decided to continue and even have ideas for future chapters. Some of Riven's past is just me taking liberties with her lore and skins, but I hope it doesn't bug too many people.

It was just before dawn in the training room at the Institute of War. Riven swung the practice sword at the training dummies head, leg, and then stomach as one of her forms told her to. Everything that Riven was doing felt odd to her. The practice sword that the league let her borrow was very different from the broken sword she wielded like it was a part of her arm. And though she had used her forms in battle dozens of times since she left Noxus, she couldn't remember the last time she practiced them instead of using them on instinct. Still, as odd as it felt, it also felt right to her.

She had woken up in a cold sweat; her dreams were plagued with nightmares of the Ionian war. Men and women on both sides with their flesh rotting from the poisons of the Noxian alchemist Singed clamored for her, begging her to save them. Riven had barely managed to survive the poison herself by luck, apparently she was part the three percent of humans that the potion simply didn't work on. So lucky that she managed to survive the purple poison clouds that blanketed the battlefield and turned it to hell on Valoran. Riven's past years on the run didn't let her remember the parts of her past that she enjoyed so she was left with only her nightmares. But that had changed as time passed, now Riven usually had nights dreamless sleep. It worried her though, she wondered if she only didn't have to worry about the nightmares because she had become so jaded that she could sleep through them.

This had been the first time since she arrived at the institute that she woke up from the nightmares, and she was almost forced to just deal with the dreams like before. But now that she found a place that she knew she was safe for the most part she had a way to work through the horrors. It surprised Riven how easily she fell back into her routine of training when she got nervous or scared, it was also surprising to her how much she missed it. 'You don't learn how skilled you are in the training hall. You prove your skills on the battlefield,' Riven's old drill instructor would roar to her when she spent an extra hour practicing more than the other recruits. Well Riven may not know which of them were right; she did see him go down with an ax to the head one battle, so she decided not to play the odds.

Besides, Riven had proven just how skilled she was in battle, unlike most of the Noxian army, Riven didn't enjoy fighting or especially killing, Ionia was the worst of that. But what also separated her from the rest of the soldiers that made up the army Riven was a natural at killing. She didn't make it an art form like Draven the Glorious Executioner or got off on it like Katarina, the Sinister Blade, Du Couteau. No, killing wasn't something that Riven enjoyed, at least that's what she told herself, but it was something she was good at. It was her differences from the assassins that made her beloved by the high command during the war, psychotic artists like Draven and Katarina helped boost morale, but even more valuable to them was Riven's efficiency on the field. Strong, efficient, and above all loyal to the cause, Riven had been one of Swain's greatest tools during the war. So much so that he actually felt a tinged of regret when he ordered Singed to do his work where he knew she fought. It passed quickly and until he saw her name on the AWOL lists he had never thought of her again, but still that one moment of regret was more than Swain had ever cared to show for another.

One of Riven's blows glanced off the dummy and Riven chastised herself, 'focus, don't think about the Before, that will get you killed. Think about the Now so you can survive until the Then,' she whispered something her first blademaster had said to her. It had been a mantra to her through the harshness of the army on and off the battlefield, the words had made her hard and cold, but they had also kept her alive.

The door of the training room creped open and a blonde head peeked in, "oh sorry," Lux said sheepishly. "Normally no one is in here this early and so I normally work out now. The noise in here surprised me actually that I had to investigate," she said rubbing the back of her head nervously.

Riven just looked at her like a deer in caught by a dragon, she didn't know why the Demacian made her so nervous, but she did. When the other girl didn't answer Lux just entered the room with as much confidence she could manage. "I hope you don't mind if I join you, normally the training room gets too crowded later in the day, not to mention all the leering guys," Lux said trying to joke. Sometimes the guys eyes strayed a bit too much and too often though and the young Demacian girl sometimes got uncomfortable. That was why she always went with her big brother or Galio, the glaring gargoyle often dissuaded the perverted glares, except from the imbalanced like Orianna or Mundo.

"I understand, the privacy was one of the reasons why I always chose to come at this time," Riven said hoping the other girl would take the hint. But Lux just remained in the doorway smiling so Riven relented, "sure, it's not like I own this room anyway."

Lux smiled that huge beautiful smile of hers at Riven in response and the Exile didn't seem to mind her presence anymore, though her stomach seemed to flutter. "Much obliged," Lux said taking her spot on one of the mats. As a mage, Lux wasn't too concerned with building strength like some of the larger champions like her brother. It wasn't that she didn't know how to fight, she was a Crownguard of goodness sake, but she knew where her own strengths on the field lied, so instead she focused on building up her flexibility and agility. That way if she was cornered by a melee bruiser, she would be able to dodge and get far enough away that she could blast them to the void with her light magic. She would practice her flips and springs later, but for now she just stretched her muscles out in preparation.

Strangely though, the Demacian tactician felt a pair of eyes on her, every now and then she would look up to see if someone was spying on her. If it was Twitch going invisible to peek on her again she would blast him into next year. But the feeling stopped so Lux tried to ignore it and just focus on her exercises. She hinged at the hip and went up in down a few times before she felt the familiar feeling of eyes on her. She ducked her heads between her legs as stealthily as she could in hopes of seeing whoever was watching her. To her surprise, it was Riven's eyes that air groped her behind as she bent over. Lux knew she should be angry or even a bit upset, but to be honest, she was a bit relieved that Riven had apparently found her worthy of ogling.

The sorceress knew she was lovely, it wasn't arrogance, it was simply a fact that Lux had come to accept. Men, women, other, it didn't matter who they were, everyone's head turned when Lux walked by. But Lux hadn't really cared about it before; before now she had never felt flattered or happy that she was always seen as a piece of meat by anyone that looked at her. Now, though for some reason, with Riven though it had felt different. Maybe it had to do with the fact that when everyone else was crowding around her to the point of suffocation yesterday until she was forced to entertain them with a story, Riven had walked out in the middle. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that in addition to being someone new and strange, the Noxian was gorgeous. She wasn't beautiful in the Lux sort of way, dainty, girly, almost like a fairy princess. But Riven had the type of beauty that came with strength, life, and hardship, the type that Lux secretly craved. She was still pure, at least in the religious sense of the word, but that didn't mean she didn't have lusts and desires of her own. Whatever it was about Riven that had captured Lux's heart the Lady of Luminosity didn't know, but she also was one for finding out instead of wondering about.

Lux could see Riven checking her out with quick embarrassed glances; the Exile had the decency to look ashamed at her perverted glowers. But still, Lux didn't feel upset, she felt mischievous and flattered, but not at upset. So she decided to play around with the strange Noxian, she fell forward and rolled into a ball before springing up to a standing position. When she reached her feet she glanced behind her and saw that Riven was facing the dummy again concentrating. Part of Lux felt insulted seeing as Riven was visually groping her a moment ago, Lux knew shouldn't be that easy to ignore. But part of her was in awe of the scene before her, the Demacian lady had seen a lot of combat, not much on the actually field of battle, but on each of the Fields of Justice and the institute itself. There were those who waited because they didn't know what to do and there were those who waited because they wanted the best time to strike; separating the wannabes from the greats. Just by watching her, Lux knew that Riven was definitely the latter, even when she was facing an opponent of wood and metal the Noxian devoted all her focus on it as if they were the only things in the universe.

Then without any warning Riven moved. That was the only way to describe what she did, her movements weren't clumsy swings or strikes, they weren't the savage blows that thugs used in brawls, or hammering blows like her brother used to finish his opponents. No, Riven's movements were swift and flowing, one moment she would stab a weak point and the next she would slash a killing blow, each part leading to the next in a deadly dance. It was Lux's turn to watch breathlessly as she saw Riven do more than practice, she watched the Exile preform.

Riven knew that she was putting far more into her daily training session that she normally did. For the past few years doing, doing the forms every morning was the last remnant of the pedestal she put Noxus on. But she the way she did them had been automatic before today, cold and emotionless, without passion or heat in her movements, just repetitiveness that reminded her of what her home could have been. For some reason though, now her movements were like they were when she first learned them from her masters. 'Why, why did it matter now,' Riven asked herself through heavy breathing, 'I've been here and practiced in the League before, hell that's pretty all I've been able to do since I came here. What makes now different?'

While Riven was trying to understand why she was putting so much effort into a daily routine Lux couldn't take her eyes off of the goddess before her. The Lady of Luminosity had been in the presence and even talked to actual divine figures like Kayle and Nasus; yet here in this cramped room that smelled of old and new sweat, Riven seemed more majestic than anyone she had met in her travels or her time at the institute. The practice sword in the Exile's hand was a mass produced item of the league's creation, it was sharp and actually well made, but it was still crap compared to the creations of a blacksmith. Lux glared at the sword It seemed so small, so unworthy to be in such a gorgeous creature's hands. She knew it wasn't the sword's fault, but she couldn't help but be annoyed by it, the cheapness of the blade hurt the performance Riven was putting on. Not that Lux knew that Riven was showing off just for her.

Right before she moved on to her last form, Riven turned around to confront Lux on her voyeurism. "Is there something that I can help you with," she asked the smaller girl who was still on the mat with a hint of irritation in her voice.

"No, I'm good," Lux replied casually while looking at Riven like she was a jar of cream and Lux was a cat.

"Then what are you doing," Riven demanded letting her calm mask slip a bit. She was nervous, when people stared at her for as long as Lux was it was normally because they recognized her and wanted the bounty on her head. But the way her body reacted to Lux's gaze was different from all the others. Riven had only felt this way about one of other person and that was a lifetime ago.

"Just staring at a pretty girl," Lux replied. Both girls were shocked at Lux's boldness, but luckily for the Demacian royal she had spent years wearing hundreds of different masks for the court. She was able to keep a look of confidence and flirtation even though she was a swarm of nerves herself.

Riven on the other hand was not used to compliments of any kind save for those on her skills as a fighter, though those were far and few between. Noxian drill sergeants were instructed to not give compliments out that much, even to the best, as such things would encourage an inefficient attitude on the warfront. Lux's boldness had even managed to get the Exile dropped her sword in surprise; something she hadn't done since she hit puberty. "You shouldn't tease Miss Crownguard," Riven scolded trying to show an air of uncaring.

Lux was busy doing something similar, but decided to go a different way, "it's true that I'm a bit of a joker and I love to tease, but the joke was only to embarrass you, not about your actual beauty. That is real and in abundance, that I can assure you," she said attempting to mimic the smoky tone she heard Sarah Fortune use when she flirted with the men of the league.

Riven turned around suddenly so she wouldn't look at the pretty Demacian before her, her heart was starting to beat faster in way so different from the adrenaline in battle. "Nothing about me is beautiful; I appreciate the compliment if that is what you are trying to do. But I would ask you to stop trying to butter me up, I already know the truth of how ugly I am." Riven knew that she was nothing like this creature; she was beautiful in ways Riven could never even describe; while Riven on the other hand wasn't.

"Really, you think you're ugly?" Lux asked knowing that this would be a good route to take to get the Exile into her game. Yet something frustrated her even though she didn't let it show, it made her mad when anyone insulted themselves due to low self-esteem. How could Riven not see how beautiful she was when that was all Lux could see, "than forgive me if I doubt your intelligence. I can only see the aesthetically pleasing things about you from your face to the curve of your behind," Lux flirted, nervous that she might be taking it too far.

"Oh what do you know about me Demacian," Riven said finally losing her cool, somehow the pleasure in her stomach she got when Lux complimented her only amplified her anger. "Nothing! So stop trying to make a fool of me and go play your games elsewhere," she snapped.

For a moment Lux was taken aback, but managed to keep that cool smile on her face, "really, you think I don't know anything about you?" Lux flexibly rolled backwards and sprung to her feet only to close her eyes and prove to the other girl just how wrong she was. "Riven of Noxus, AKA Riven the Exile. Born in the small Noxian of Gallen to an unknown mother and father, she was given to be raised by one of the temples as was the case with orphans at the time. However, you proved early on in your life you differentiated yourself from the other children by proving yourself a fighting prodigy. So around the age of eight you were brought to an academy where your raw talent was hammered into talent and skill for the next five years. After that you were given permission to join the army and go through the recruitment process, a little young at thirteen, but you were given the opportunity due to your skills. During this time you flourished and your strength and skills made you the model fighter, but your dedication and conviction made you the perfect soldier. The Noxian military heads saw a way to use you to increase moral and made you their poster child, during which you became a member of the Crimson Elites, Noxus' most famous and, as the name would suggest, elite fighting force. It was a long and hard process, but true to Noxian ideals you had managed to drag yourself up from the gutter and into the ranks of the Noxian elite, not just as a fighter, but practically a lady. Then came Ionia," Lux said and for the first time since she started listing Riven's history emotion crept into her voice.

"We don't have to go into Ionia," Lux said knowing it was a hard time for Riven. "After you left the military and Noxus in your own self-inflicted exile, you began to wander which led you to the League. See I know your history," Lux bragged. "I also know you dream of returning Noxus to its former glory, you are tiring of only being allowed to train and want to be able to fight soon, and that you have no knowledge or interest in the fine arts," Lux finished and took a huge breath of air to recover from her retelling of all she knew about Riven.

Dumbstruck, all Riven could do was ask, "How?"

"Well you walked out during my story," Lux said referring to the last part of her fact finding story.

"No," Riven shouted, "how do you know all that about me?"

"Oh I just read the reports on you; the League has access to all non-restricted data from each kingdom as a sign of good faith. I also asked the other champions who have been around here, some knew you back in Noxus. Oh and a bit from the way you carry yourself, it's amazing how much you can learn about a person from their body language," Lux said unashamed.

"Why did you learn about me then, why do you care," Riven asked narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"Well you fascinate me," Lux said. "We get new champions to the league all the time, but I don't know why, but after I saw you I couldn't get you off my mind. Trust me, it's just as annoying for me not being able to explain why I act like I do when you're on my mind for as it is for you, but I do. Probably something akin to love at first sight," Lux said as an afterthought.

If Riven had been expecting an answer at all, never in a thousand years would it of been that, "what," as all she asked questioningly.

"Don't worry Riven," Lux assured her moving closer to the other girl but stopped far enough away that she wouldn't spook the girl. Holding up her hands to show her cards were on the table, "this isn't a proposition or anything, you know unless you want it to be," she fluttered her eyelashes in an exaggerated parody of flirting. Even one as stoic as Riven laughed a little at the Demacian's actions, "well how about that I got you to laugh. Maybe it wasn't a big one, but a win's a win," Lux said almost goofily confident. But her face resumed its gentle nonjudgmental state, "It's a little crush that I have on you, maybe it will go away tomorrow or never, but I won't ever act on it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Y-you're just trying to mess with my mind," Riven accused with her face flushed and backing up from the strange girl. Her years of harsh training and even harsher exile had conditioned her to thinking she was nothing but a weapon. Beauty and love were dreams of those without a path like hers, Riven couldn't consider the idea that she was pretty and someone was attracted to her, the very idea was so alien that it scared her.

"I'm not going to deny that was messing with your head a bit, but that doesn't mean that my feelings aren't real," Lux insisted pleadingly. She wanted so much to close the distance between them and embrace the Exile, to show her that her feelings were real. But she knew it was better to not frighten the other woman so Lux kept her distance.

"You should stop," Riven insisted, but it her words seemed weak and dull compared to last thing she had said. The fire of conviction was starting to die and her walls were starting to crumble before this girl's passive assault.

"Do I annoy you Riven," Lux asked, "is it because I have feelings for you, or is it because I'm a Demacian?"

"No, that's not it," Riven said breathily

"Is it because I'm a girl," Lux asked inching closer slowly.

"No," Riven denied again trying to look everywhere other than Lux.

"Is it because I'm ugly," Lux said sounding melancholy for a moment.

"Of course not, you're beautiful," Riven replied closing the gap. She was the most surprised when she had moved to comfort the sad girl.

"Oh I'm so glad you think that Riven," Lux up around bubbly and hugged Riven who just stood there shocked about what had just happened. "I'm happy we're friends," she said resting her head in the area of Riven's chest just above her bosom.

"What is going on," Riven demanded, more to anyone instead of to Lux, this girl seemed a master of dragging her into unknown situations that tested the limits of her comfort.

Ignoring the question Lux piped up, "I'm feeling a bit peckish, so how about we get some breakfast, it will still be a while before anyone wakes up. Come on, it's just breakfast between friends, that's all. I promise," she saluted for emphasis.

Riven was about to refuse but then Lux jutted her bottom lip out and made her eyes grow big, 'that is hardly fair,' Riven said to herself. Still, it wouldn't be so bad. It had been more than a year since Riven had shared a meal with another person that wasn't an assassin trying to sneak up on her during dinner cooked by campfire. Against her better judgment Riven relented, "fine," she said with a sigh.

"Great," Lux said giving her a smile. It wasn't that same huge smile that she gave everyone when pretending to be bubbly, it was a real one. So beautiful that Riven was awestruck, blushing she let Lux drag her by the arm out the door of the training room. It was only by instinct only she grabbed her sword, otherwise she would of left her partner behind. What was this girl doing to her?


	3. Chapter 3

I want to apologize for the wait, I don't want make excuses, it was mostly being lazy and not being motivated. So now that that is done, this is the third chapter, to be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this since I haven't been motivated lately and stopped playing league months ago. But people seemed to like it at least a little so I wanted to continue for those people because I hate it when I'm reading a story and the author decides to stop just because they want to. That being said, if someone wants to take over this story I wouldn't exactly mind that much if you are willing to continue the story.

Luxanna 'Lux,' Crownguard continued to put Riven off balance as they entered the giant mess hall and settled down for a meal together. There were times where the girl would unleash a string of rapid, seemingly unrelated questions at the Noxian, Riven almost started to think the strategist was a fool. She knew better of course, Lux's intelligence was something of a legend in any army and the information of what she rattled off of what knew of Riven was almost scary. Still, Riven was unbalanced by the ease the Demacian got under her walls and snuck in to surprise her. Lux would maintain her airheaded persona for several minutes only to shock Riven with a statement she learned from the few word answers Riven gave her.

The other thing that surprised Riven was how easy it was to talk to Lux. In the past few years, there had been weeks that Riven went without saying a single word. Even when she did say anything it was normally short sentences with few words to an inn keeper or passing trader. Yet to this bright Demacian the words seemed to spill out, and even though it was a foreign feeling to her, Riven was surprised just how much she liked talking. She had thought it had been something she had buried under years of solitude, but surprise, surprise she actually enjoyed speaking with Lux. They talked more than just about Noxus and Demacia, they talked about the league, what they liked to eat, music, and more. Lux even managed to make Riven laugh once or twice to the Exile's surprise, but all things would come to an end.

It started when they were talking about each other's love lives, much to Riven's chagrin. "So when and who was your first kiss," Lux asked suddenly making Riven chock on the water she was drinking.

"What," Riven coughed spilling her water which she then tried to clean up.

"Yeah, your first kiss," Lux asked putting her hands on her cheeks to give Riven a Cheshire Cat grin. "Who was it?"

"I've never been kissed," Riven hissed at her through blushing cheeks.

"Really," Lux practically shouted in surprise, "you're certainly shy, but I never would have guessed you were a virgin seeing as you don't exactly have the same virginal glow like I do."

"I said I've never been kissed before," Riven said a bit harsher than she intended, "that doesn't meant that I've never had sex," she corrected. When she saw Lux's confused face she sighed and elaborated. "In my youth, as you pointed out I was something of a celebrity, even before I joined the Crimson Elites. There were other people famous in Noxus though, one woman in particular was famed for her skill in battle. Technically, she wasn't part of Noxus, she was a mercenary who just happen to have a long contract with my country. But she had been a under Noxian employment for years so the brass and the government considered her one of us and treated her with the privileges of one of our wealthy and elite. She came looking for me actually, this was before the war of course; she told me when we were between the sheets that she always liked finding pretty or expensive things, rare items for her to claim. And since I was the face of Noxus' military, I was worth enough to make that list. She was beautiful and strong," Riven said with a sigh, "but at times cold. Like I said, she was my first time, but we never kissed while we were together, I guess it was a relationship of some sort, if not a romantic one. She used me, and when the war started she left Noxus and we weren't together anymore, that's it," Riven said making it clear she didn't want to talk about it.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Lux started to glow a soft blue color, several other champions in the mess hall were doing the same, though in different colors. "I'm sorry Riven," Lux said with a sigh, "It looks like I have a match coming up," she really did sound sad. "I need to go, but…" she let the last word continue.

She didn't want Riven to think she was running away as they were discussing such a serious topic. Riven just put her hand on Lux's, "it's okay Lux I understand. Go and win your match," she said wishing her… friend luck. 'Is that what they were,' Riven wondered, but she didn't dwell on it long.

Breaking out into a smile Lux threw her hands around Riven embracing her with a surprising amount of strength Riven wasn't prepared for. "Thank you soooo much Riven I promise to make it up to you," she said and before Riven could collect herself Lux disappeared in a shimmer of light and was gone.

"No problem," Riven said aloud to no one in particular dazed in a good way as she thought about the strategist's warm embrace. But she shook herself to clear her head, when she realized she was alone at the table and the mess hall was significantly emptier than it was moments ago, she got up to leave. 'Why had she told Lux all of that,' she wondered. She had barely thought about that mercenary in years, why had she told this girl she had just met? She walked out of the hall to think about her actions, and the girl that had confused her so while making her spill her guts.

She entered one of the lesser courtyards of the institute, which was empty luckily. It was quite a pretty picture, a grassy field and a couple of trees. Riven had come to this place when she wanted to get away from the noise of the league. But it wouldn't stay peaceful for long, Riven was being followed and she knew it. She pulled out her shattered sword and brought it across her knees to examine it. Even in its broken form it was heavy and beautiful to her, that was the one way her once proud sword didn't reflect its owner, she thought. With a final sigh she stood up and put her sword to her shoulder, "Ionia or Noxian," she shouted into the morning air. "I know you're out there, come out and face me if you dare, I don't have time to wait for your convenience," that was a lie actually, she had nothing but time, but she didn't want to waste the time she had on assassins.

After a moment of silence, several figures, 6 in all, stepped out of the scenery dressed like ninjas, 'that means Ionians,' Riven thought. But surprisingly they weren't dressed quite in the manner of the Kinkou Order, which meant either they were normal of Ionians dressed like ninja to kill her, or they were splinters of their order who left to become common assassins. Regardless, they would be different to fight than Noxians, they would still use poison and sneak attacks, but when they would try to kill her finish her off they would at least do it to her face. "You are skilled Noxian," the one Riven took to be the leader said. "I suppose that's what kept you alive against our noble forces long enough for your death weapons to finish them off," he said turning cold.

"I know it won't change anything, but I suffered at the hands of Noxus and Singed as well," Riven said knowing from experience that even if they would hear what she had to say, they wouldn't listen.

Without any other words her assassins started their attack. The leader dashed backwards while the remaining five charged at her weapons drawn. The five moved like wolves, their metal fangs slashed at her over and over again, dodging each time her heavy sword would meet the earth with a thundering boom. This was all a trick on both sides; for the Ionians, the five charging at her acted like they meant to take her life, and given the chance they would, but that wasn't their objective. They were supposed to get her off balance, tire her out, and give the remaining killer time to learn her moves for when the time was right to finish her off. It was a common tactic of Ionian killers, one Riven Knew all too well seeing as they went after her personally during her years of exile. Which was where Riven's trick came into play, she knew that her opponents were watching her, learning what she could do in preparation, which was why she was telegraphing her moves, making each strike of her sword look like it took twice the energy to swing it. It was a risky tactic since it made her fight in ways she was unaccustomed to, but she was confident that she could out last these assassins like the countless number she had before. The assassins had a handicap, by attacking her in broad daylight they ran the risk of someone stumbling on to them and ruing their plans.

The first group started to get desperate, slashing at her and making risky moves in hopes of getting a cut in. Two of them jumped her directly and though she managed to ward them off it put her off balance, leaving one of the remaining to strike at her open back. He or she managed to make a shallow cut on her, but paid for it with an elbow to the face. Almost immediately though Riven felt the effects of whatever was on the blade, she wasn't sure if it was poison, but it made her dizzy and slowed her movements. Sensing the end, the remaining four of the group jumped on her stomachs rumbling for an easy kill.

Riven knew she couldn't keep doing what she was doing, and dropped the act of weakness, since the real weakness creeping through her muscles would spell the end of her if she didn't. Before the assassins could land their blows the Exile gathered her Ki all around her then moved it into her sword, and in a wide horizontal slash she cut down all four. When she did it normally it didn't take much out of her and she could do another in a few minutes, but now she felt like she had been fighting for days and she could barely keep herself up after that attack. She managed to prop herself up with her sword, but half a dozen knives stabbed into her back, most didn't breach her armor, but one cut a deep gash into her shoulder and another cut into her hip, and the force of the blows knocked her to the ground.

"You fought well Noxian," the remaining assassin said as he towered over her, "but this is the end of you, this is when my people are avenged," he snarled and brought his blade down to killer her. 'This is how I die?' Riven asked herself, had she really survived all these lonely years only to die when she finally found a place where she might belong? She thought of Lux, her golden hair, her bright blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires, her sweet smile that she wasn't sure if it was mocking of sincere. Was the Lady of Luminosity truly when she said she was in love with her? Riven didn't know, but she knew she wanted the time to find out, she didn't want to die.

Luckily, he never got the chance to finish her off. He was interrupted by a spinning blade, it cut his arm off and he fell to his knees, "well well well, what do we have here," a steely female voice asked from across the courtyard. Riven managed to get to a knee and looked to the voice, it was a voice she knew well, Sivir the Battle Mistress walked through the battleground as if she was born to be there. She walked over to the remaining man who screamed at the loss of his hand and slit his throat with her magnificent blade without pausing to hear what he was screaming.

"If I had known that it was just a bunch of boring Ionian assassins I would have just stood aside and let it go down. But I suppose," she said turning to Riven with a "having another champion owe me a favor is worth my time," she said, but she stopped talking when she saw Riven lying on the ground. "Oh sweet one," she said stroking the Exile's face, "I had heard that you survived the Ionian campaign, but I never thought I would see you again. Shh," Sivir said pointing her finger to her lips when Riven tried to speak, "I'll take you to the medical bay and they'll patch you up right away. We will talk then," and before Riven could respond Sivir picked her up gently like a bride and carried her as if she weighed nothing and she blacked out before long.

So I'm not sure how this stacked up, I'm tired while writing this and not completely motivated to write it, but I wanted to continue it. I'm also not sure how the fight scene went over, it was mainly a device used to get Riven hurt and have Sivir intervene to swoop in and save her. The writer in me felt like the fight scene wasn't needed or that it had to be that important, I almost wrote that, 'the fight happened and that Riven got hurt, but managed to take out a few of them before she was weakened too much to keep fighting. Then Sivir attacked the assassins,' but the writer and martial artist in me couldn't let that happen so this terribly written fight scene happened. In case you were wondering, Sivir was Riven's old lover years ago, I also realize that the Lux Riven conversation that moved to Riven's love life was also more of a device than a real conversation, but I wanted it to move that way. Sivir was my main character when I played league and also my favorite, she is underused, I don't think there's a single Sivir story, but there wasn't months ago, so I thought I would use her in my story. I hope that even though it was a rushed chapter that you enjoyed it nonetheless, and I hope that the next update won't as long as the previous one.


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